Gate.



V. R. STAIRS.

GATE.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. 29,1908.

muasw. B. GRAHAM co. FmJlo-uwoamwzns, "ummm" u c V. R. STAIRS.

GATE.

APPLICATION FILED 0GT.29, 1908.

Patented 001.01909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATNT FFllQLFA.

VEB/NA R. STAIRS, 0F CARLETON, NEBRASKA.

GATE.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, VERNA R. STAIRS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Carleton, in the county of Thayer, State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gates; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to gates, more par ticularly of the class arranged to be operated at a distance by persons in Vehicles or on horse back without the necessity for alighting, and has for one of its objects to simplify and improve the construction and increase the etHciency and utility of devices of this character.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simply constructed device of this character which is firmly supported at all points in its movement so that all tendency to sag or displacement otherwise is obviated.

`With these and other objects in view the invention consists in a supporting structure having an upper rail extending over the gateway opening and a lower rail extending beyond the gateway opening, the upper rail designed to support the gate at one end and the lower rail designed to support the gate at the other end, a rock shaft supported in the frame with a system of levers between the rock shaft and the gate, and a compound operating mechanism spaced from the gate and its frame and adapted to be operated by a person who desires to open or close the gate, and by means of which the gate is closed or opened by a downward pull upon the operating mechanism.

rlhe invention further consists in certain novel features of construction as hereafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claims, and in the drawings illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved device with the gate in closed position. Fig. 2 is a similar view with the gate in open position. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the improved device. Fig. t is a detail of the trip device, enlarged.

The improved device may be applied to any of the various forms or structures of gates either wholly of metal or partly of metal and partly of wood, but for the pur- Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 29, 1908.

Patented Get. 5, 19d-9.

serial No. 11.60.090`

pose of illustration a gate is shown in the drawings with a relatively long end member 10 and a relatively7 short end member 11 coupled by horizontal rail members 12-13 and spaced tie rods or strand 1ivires 14, but it will be understood that it is not desired to limit the improved device to any specific gate structure.

The supporting structure for the gate comprises spaced posts 15-16 arranged at one side of the gateway opening and similar posts 17-18 arranged at t-he opposite side of the gateway opening and with another post 19 spaced from the posts 172-18, the space between the posts 17--18 and the post 19 being a little greater than the length of the gate, the object to be hereafter explained. The posts 15--16 and 17-18 are relatively long and are connected at their upper ends respectively by blocks 20-21, the blocks being coupled by a rod 22 which forms an upper track for one end of the gate. Connected at 23 between the posts 17 18 is a guide rod 94, the opposite end of the guide rod being coupled to the post 19. The guide rod 22 is thus disposed at a sufficient distance above the roadway to enable vehicles of various sizes to pass beneath it, while the guide rod 24 is located at a short distance above the body of the gate which terminates in the rail 12, as shown.

Connected to the post 10 is a standard 25 support-ing a roller 2G traveling upon the guide member 22, while the post 11 is provided with a similar standard 27 supporting a roller 28 traveling upon the guide rod 24. By this means the gate is supported at both ends, and travels back and fort-h upon the guides, and will not therefore sag when in operation, but will retain its level position at all times.

Spaced from the posts 17-18 and in alinement therewith at opposite sides of the gateway opening are supporting posts one of which is shown at Q9, these posts designed to support the gate actuating mechanism, and will be spaced at a suiiicientdistance from the gate to enable a person in a vehicle to reach the operating mechanism without alighting. The distance between the posts 29 and the gate structure will necessarily be greater than the distance between the seat of a vehicle and the head of the horse hitched thereto, for obvious reasons. The operating mechanism connected to the posts 29 is precisely the same upon each, and a description of one will suffice for both.

Attached to the opposite sides of the upper ends of the posts 29 are plates 31-32, the plates curving laterally at their upper' ends and converging to forma support for a lever 33, the shorter end of the lever connected to the posts by a spring 34 operating to maintain the longer end of the lever yieldable in its upward position. Mounted for rotation through the posts 17-18 is a shaft 35, the shaft likewise mounted for rotation through the plates 31, 32 above the posts 29.

Connected rigidly to the shaft 35 between the posts 17-18 are two lever arms 36-37 ext-ending upon opposite sides of the gate structure and connected at their lower ends to the gate by links 38-39, the links preferably connected at their lower ends to the lower rail 13 of the gate. The coupling means between the links 38-39 and the rail 13 are formed by a transverse pin 40, the links 38-39 having longitudinal slots 41 where they engage the pin so that a certain degree of play is provided for, the links and the pin, this play designed to be utilized to operate a latch for the gate, as hereafter explained.

Connected to the shaft between the plates 31 32 is a trip device 42 formed with a longitudinal slot 43 and having depressions 44-45 at the ends. Operating in the slot 43 and its depressions 44-45 is a roller 46, the roller being connected to the lever 33 by a link 47. The link is pivoted at its lower end to bear upon opposite sides of the member 42, and coupled to the roller 46 by a pin 4S. rllhe member 42 will be so arranged that when the end having the depression 45 is in its upward position the gate will be closed and when the end having the depression 44 is in its upward position the gate will be opened, as shown respectively in Figs. 1 and 2. By this arrangement it will be obvious that when the gate is closed a downward pull upon the longer end of the lever 33 will cause the roller 46 to en* gage in the depression 45 and oscillate the member 42 through the action of the link 47, and thus correspondingly oscillate the shaft 35 and cause the lever arms 35)*37 through their connection with the gate by the links 33-39 to draw the gate into open position, which movement will reverse the position of the member 42, and when the lever 33 is released the spring 34 will restore the lever to its former upward position and cause the roller 46 to travel to the opposite end of the arm 42 and above the depression 44. This operation it will be understood takes place with each of the levers at both sides of the gate, and when the driver reaches the other post 29 as the gate moves a pull downward upon the lever 33 will cause the roller 46 to engage in the depression 44 and thus reverse the position of the member 42 and close the gate. By this simple means the gate is both opened and closed by simply drawing downward upon the lever 33, so that two of the levers spaced from the gate at opposite sides is all that is required to operate the gate.

Pivoted at 49 to the post 10 is a latch member 50 having a lip 51 at one end and an operating lug 52 at the opposite end, the lip adapted to engage over a pin 53 extending between the posts 15-15. By this means when the gate is closed the lip 5l automatically engages over the pin 53 and holds the gate in its closed position. As before stated the links 38-39 are arranged with longitudinal slots 41 engaging over the pin 40, and the link 39 is coupled to the latch 50 by a rod 54. By this means when the member 42 is actuated to operate the sha-ft the links 38-39 will be moved longitudinally for a distance equal to the length of the slots 41, which movement will cause the rod 42 to release the lip 51 of the latch 50 from the pin 53 before the gate begins its movement, and then as the movement of the shaft 35 continues the arms 36-37 and links 38-39 pick up the gate and continue the opening movement. At the return movement of the gate the latch 5() automatically engages the pin 53, as above noted.

The improved device is simple in construction, can be inexpensively manufactured, and applied to gates of various forms and constructed of various materials, and is readily applicable to any locality requiring a gate of this character.

Vhile the structure shown is the preferable arrangement and embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that various changes may be made in the device within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the principle of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

lVhat is claimed, is

1. In a structure of the class described, a supporting structure including a gateway opening, a gate arranged for movement transversely of said gateway opening, a shaft mounted for oscillation, a rod connected at one end to said shaft, a bar having a longitudinal slot at one end and slidably engaging thereby over a pin carried by the gate and connected at the other end to said rod, a latch connected to swing upon said gate, a keeper carried by said supporting structure and arranged in the path of the latch when the gate is closed, connecting means between said latch and the bar at its slotted end, a supporting member for the outer end of said shaft, an arm carried by said shaft and provided with a longitudinal slot having .depressions at the ends, a roller movable in said slot and the depressions thereof, a lever carried by said shaft sup-- port, a spring operating to maintain said lever yieldably in elevated position, and a connecting member between said lever and roller.

2. In a structure of the class described, a gate supporting frame comprising spaced vertical members arranged in pairs at each side of the gateway opening, coupling means connected respectively between said pairs of vertical members, a relatively high tracl supported by said coupling means and eX- tending above the gateway opening, a vertical member spaced from one of said pairs of vertical members, a relatively low track extending between said last mentioned vertical member and the nearest of said pairs of vertical members, a gate movable between said pairs of vertical members, a shaft mounted for oscillation through one of said pairs of vertical members, lever arms carried by said shaft, links connecting the free ends of said arms to said gate, an arm carried by said shaft and provided with a longitudinal slot having depressions at the ends,

a roller movable in said slot and the depressions thereof, a lever, and a rod connecting said roller and said lever, whereby the depression of the lever will actuate the slotted arm and operate the gate.

3. In a structure of the class described, a gate arranged for movement transversely of the gateway opening, a shaft mounted for oscillation, coupling means between the shaft and gate, a supporting member for the outer end of said shaft, an arm carried by said shaft and provided with a longitudinal slot having depressions at the ends, a roller movable in said slot and the depressions thereof, a lever carried by said shaft support, a spring operating to maintain said lever yieldably in elevated position, and a connecting member between said lever and roller.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

VERNA R. STAIRS.

Vitnesses:

ERLE VHIPKEY, D. H. KnLso. 

